Best Buy's Shady Pricing Scam Unravels
Fri Mar 2, 2007 6:49PM EST
See Comments (164)
Reading stuff like this makes me lose what faith I had left in corporate America. You probably won't believe it, but here goes.
Many big box retailers let you use "price matching" when you come into their store, a policy which lets you get the same price that a competitor charges or, in the case of Best Buy, pay the same price in the store that Best Buy charges on its website. Sounds great, but customers were finding themselves puzzled when they checked the price of something they were about to pay for at a Best Buy store. When using the store's in-house computers, the prices on bestbuy.com didn't look quite as low as they remembered at home. In other words: Web prices were somehow higher when you were shopping inside Best Buy.
The answer to this riddle has finally turned out to be something quite noxious: Best Buy has been using a secret intranet site inside its stores. It's a private version of its public website that looks identical to bestbuy.com, with one key distinction: The prices are considerably higher. George Gombossy of the Hartford Courant sussed this out with some old-fashioned in-store sleuthing and reports on it in detail here.
Best Buy has finally admitted that the secret site exists, and it's facing formal investigation by the state of Connecticut. However, Best Buy says it never intended to mislead anyone... perhaps claiming that the prices on the intranet were just mistakes, not intentionally inflated. Hmmm, sounds fishy to me. What do you think?
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7 Posted by megapsychotron on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:15PM EDT Report Abuse
Best Buy used to be such a great, exciting store. But, slowly but surely, they have become a place I try to avoid for buying stuff. The prices are not BEST! Actually, they are often pretty bad! I only go there when I have gift certificates, reward zone coupons (a program that also used to be much better), or if they actually have a decent sale on something I want.
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8 Posted by shutrbug@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:21PM EDT Report Abuse
I knew Best Buy was shady, but this is frankly beyond belief. You know how they classify customers as angels or devils? Now I know that BB should be classified as a "devil" store.
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9 Posted by doc_craig187 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:45PM EDT Report Abuse
Best Buy as long as you do not look to close. Ya right.
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10 Posted by ipc.1008 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:24PM EDT Report Abuse
The BIGGER the BUSINESS the LARGER the potential CRIME!!!
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11 Posted by wkelly5688 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:48PM EDT Report Abuse
Just one more reason for me to never walk in their store again!
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12 Posted by watts838 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:40PM EDT Report Abuse
Having bought an Aptiva at best buy with extended warranty, I waited 8 months for repair for a blown sound card. And then they were quite mad that I had hurried them along. (Of course, this was in Arkansas)
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13 Posted by franklinbarnard on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:02PM EDT Report Abuse
You bet it's fishy. I quit Best Buy long time ago. I took a computer tower in to have checked. I called and called them, was told you're next. After 10 days I told them to forget it and went and picked up my computer. It had never been put on the table for a check. I have never been back and don't intend too. The store is in Joplin, Mo.. Franklin R. Barnard......
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14 Posted by zzzaaqqqq on Thu Sep 3, 2009 11:02PM EDT Report Abuse
I never buy anything at Best Buy, worthless store!! I say get rid of it! JR
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15 Posted by sooy999 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:33PM EDT Report Abuse
Best Buy has never been the "Best Buy". In this NJ area if WalMart has the same item it is always less than Best Buy.
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16 Posted by cow_being on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:30PM EDT Report Abuse
i havnt shopped at best buy in over year now because all the prices are inflated. for example, a set of speakers at best buy was $200. at circuit city, the same set was $140. on the company web site, the speakers were $175
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17 Posted by jimbowman2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:35PM EDT Report Abuse
I went to Best Buy to get a wireless access point router. The website listed it at $71.99 on sale. When I got to the store the router was priced $79.99. I asked the manager about the price and he looked it up on the internet (Or so I thought). He said the price on the internet was $79.99. I had looked at it not more than 45 minutes earlier. When I got home I looked again (It was $71.99). Please explain that!!
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18 Posted by jesus_walks_with_me93 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:33PM EDT Report Abuse
commorancy has a point, best buy knows alot about products and they have them out so you can use them and test them and whatever, but they're prices are certainely not the "best buy"
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19 Posted by jesus_walks_with_me93 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:33PM EDT Report Abuse
commorancy has a point, best buy knows alot about products and they have them out so you can use them and test them and whatever, but they're prices are certainely not the "best buy"
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20 Posted by carl_j_lawrence on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:18PM EDT Report Abuse
This figures, It's like their no interest financing. We would send in our payments 10 days early and somehow magically they would turn up late in their payment center and we'd get a penalty of over $30 as a late fee, which on a $400 camera was almost 10% of the price on the first payment. We couldn't prove anything, which is I'm sure what they counted on, but what they didn't count on, perhaps, is that I went ahead and paid the whole thing off and severed any ties to them since. I won't use their financing and because I often need to fincnce big ticket stuff this means I won't by my plasma etc., at Best Buy...they don't seem to deal in good faith.
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21 Posted by toddd1972 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:14PM EDT Report Abuse
This did happen to me. I did not print out the ad when I went in for my new Sony amp. I hope this shuts them down. I thought it was fishy when the sales person looked online and it did show the amp for more money. I will never purchase from them again. Scum bags.
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22 Posted by hervharri_1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:18PM EDT Report Abuse
Ah, so someone finally caught Best Buy. I recently ordered a 5 disc dvd player and at store prices, none were available at the store. That same day I checked the internet prices and found the price lower by $30.00. When I went to the store to pick up the player and pointed out the difference, the store manager gave me the internet price without question or argument. Herve
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23 Posted by dieseldude36 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:43PM EDT Report Abuse
I think that is bull, i know that i will go somewere else to do my shopping.
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24 Posted by dirkclough58 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:43PM EDT Report Abuse
I DON'T AND WILL NOT SHOP BEST BUY.. THEY TRY TO SELL A CONTRACT ON EVERY THING THEY SELL NOT ONLY THAT THEY TOLD ME ON ONE ITEM THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE MANUFACTER, WHICH WAS BOGUS!!!!
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25 Posted by louis_manske on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:57PM EDT Report Abuse
It's happened to me bait and switch
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6 Posted by mikedgolf40505 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse
Has anyone out there had problems with their fraudulent shipping methods? I have complained to my states attorney general and the FCC and nobody will lift a finger because they say there is not enough complaints, and Best Buy's attitude is nothing short of arrogant and horrible. If anyone has the same experience please email me at mikedgolf40505@yahoo.com I have found Best Buy to be unethical on their best day and fraudlent on their worse. The worst part is their smug, arrogant attitude and total unwillingness to ackowledge or do anything about any problem they are confronted with. They are the WORST company I have ever dealt with on the web.